If you aren't out of breath when you go to shoot, you can try what marksmen do. Take two deep breaths, and hold it when you exhale on the second one. Start your shooting the moment you begin holding your breath.

I built the $14 steadicam but was unsatified with the results. It does have problems with rotation. However before anyone tries to build one if you have one of the small tripods just mount your camera on it and use the folded legs as a the grip. It is about the same thing as the $14 steadicam but even more stable. Plus the mount is easier to deal with. There are still some problems with rotation.